“Let Me Give You an Advance Inheritance”: 60-Year-Old Construction Worker Scammed by Five Hostesses—The Big Shot Act He Described in Court

“In Kansai dialect, I wanted to look good”

The first hearing of Masahiro Nakatani, 60 (at the time of his arrest), who is charged with fraud for allegedly approaching women in their 20s working at a hostess club in Tokyo’s Kabukicho and telling them things like, “I want to give you an inheritance while I’m still alive,” before defrauding them of cash, was held at the Tokyo District Court on September 4.

What came to light during the defendant questioning that day was his immature motive for committing the crime and a repayment plan based on wishful thinking.

“In July last year, Nakatani approached a hostess and told her, ‘I want to give you ¥5 million as an inheritance while I’m still alive. You need to pay ¥1 million in advance as gift tax,’ before defrauding her of cash. As soon as the hostess handed over the money, he became unreachable, prompting her to consult the police. That was how the crime came to light. Nakatani used the same scheme to defraud five women of a total of ¥6.5 million.” (National newspaper judicial affairs reporter)

Nakatani appeared in court with a shaved head covered in gray hair and deep wrinkles etched across his face, giving him an impression of being older than his actual age. However, he was dressed in a black T-shirt from a high-end streetwear brand popular among young people and white skinny jeans, suggesting that he took pride in his fashion.

The first proceedings were witness examinations, with his common-law wife of more than 20 years taking the stand. Asked about Nakatani’s occupation, she explained, “He works in civil engineering and is a subcontractor for a construction company.” Regarding his arrest, she appeared shocked, saying, “I was surprised. To be honest, he had been working really hard.”

The couple have a daughter in her 20s with a disability, and his common-law wife expressed her disappointment and anger toward Nakatani, saying, “The victims are around the same age as our daughter, so I’m extremely angry.” She said she would supervise him to ensure he rehabilitates himself, but quickly added, “If he does the same thing again, I’ll cut ties with him, and I won’t let him see our daughter either.”

Next came the defendant questioning. When his attorney once again asked why he had committed the crime, Nakatani remained silent for about 30 seconds before answering,

“One major factor was that I wanted to show off and look good.”

The event is huge

When asked to provide more details about his current work, he said,

“I originally worked in the events business. In between events, I was allowed to work part-time for a construction company.”

He emphasized that his main occupation was event-related work. Although he had been arrested for allegedly defrauding five women of cash, when his attorney asked, “Did you intend to pay the money back?” he explained,

“I absolutely intended to. There was an event planned for the end of the year, and I was arrested just as I was thinking about repaying them.”

As for how he planned to do so, he presented a wishful repayment plan, saying,

“I want to borrow money from an acquaintance to compensate the victims. I thought I could repay them with the profits if the event was successful. Once I signed the contract, I could receive an advance payment.”

The prosecution, however, pointed out the contradiction between his claim that he intended to repay the money and the fact that he had cut off contact with the women. When asked to explain, he replied,

“I’m not very familiar with cellphones, so I didn’t realize that I had been blocked.”

His testimony raised doubts about its credibility.

Regarding the money he had defrauded the women of, he explained,

“I had living expenses, and I spent some of it on food and drinks. I also bought clothes for other women.”

Behind him, his common-law wife shot him a sharp look accompanied by a deep sigh. Finally, when the judge asked, “What do you mean when you say you wanted to show off? Please be specific,” he replied,

“In Kansai dialect, I wanted to look good. I wanted them to take an interest in me by helping them financially.”

The judge then asked about Nakatani’s testimony that he could repay the money using the fee from an event: “After deducting expenses, would you really have that much money—about ¥6.5 million—left over?”

Nakatani answered emphatically,

“The event is huge.”

The prosecution sought a four-year sentence of imprisonment, citing the fact that “five people fell victim within a short period, indicating a high degree of habitual offending.” Although Nakatani repeatedly emphasized his past track record in the events business, it only served to highlight the emptiness and irresponsibility of clinging to his past.

The verdict will be handed down on October 20.